PINHOLE – MAKE A CAMERA AND TAKE PHOTOS

WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS WORKSHOP

Experience the aesthetic of retro-photography, photo history & hands-on image making

THE PROGRAM HAS 2 SESSIONS

THE INTRODUCTION: In the evening of Tuesday November 1 a 2.5 hour introduction will present topics related to pinhole photography and example works will be shown. Most importantly, it will be a review of objects that you want to make into cameras, as well as a demonstration of what you will need to do in preparation for the practical workshop.

THE PRACTICAL SESSION: On Sunday November 6 a full day will be spent experimenting with the cameras you have made making black and white images on paper and film and printing them in Maud’s Darkroom.

Photo: Victoria Cooper Photo: Doug Spowart

Some background on pinhole photography:

Pinhole photography is a way of creating photographs without using a lens. The image is created by a pin-prick hole made in a piece of metal. When placed over the front of the camera with the lens removed or in a handmade light-proofed container light reflected from a subject passes onto the film or digital sensor forming an image.

Pinhole photographs have a dreamlike quality created by the absence of a lens. The soft rendition of the subject captured is often accentuated by the long exposure times, sometimes many minutes, required. Photographers have long been drawn to these attributes along with the retro-technological nature and back-to-basic approaches demanded of pinhole work.

Making your pinhole camera

You can make a pinhole camera from almost anything. Some photographers simply connect the pinhole to normal SLR cameras. Many make cameras from recycling used containers like biscuit tins and shoeboxes. Others make pinhole cameras from containers as small as a matchbox to very large objects like entire rooms or even cars.